varandra

Each Other

Level 2

Varandra means 'each other'. It's used when people in a group do something to one another.

How It Works

Varandra is the Swedish reciprocal pronoun, corresponding to 'each other' or 'one another' in English. It often refers to the participants expressed by a plural subject, but can also express a relationship without an action, as in De bor nära varandra.

Key points:

  • It refers to two or more participants, commonly expressed by one plural subject such as de, vi or pojkarna.
  • The relationship is reciprocal; with a larger group, not every possible pair must interact.
  • Varandra is invariable; it does not change for gender or number.

For example:
Vi ser varandra. (We see each other.)
Pojkarna bråkar med varandra. (The boys are fighting with each other.)

Genitive Form: varandras
To show possession ('each other's'), you add an -s: varandras.
De läser varandras brev. (They are reading each other's letters.)

It's important not to confuse varandra with the reflexive pronoun sig. A reflexive pronoun means the subject does the action to themself, while a reciprocal pronoun means the subjects do the action to each other.

Other Local Antecedents
In Jag såg dem hjälpa varandra, dem identifies the people helping each other inside the infinitive phrase. Varandra does not have to refer to the finite clause’s subject jag. It can also describe a sequence: Barnen gick efter varandra. That does not say every child walked behind every other child.

Examples (4)

  1. De älskar varandra.

    They love each other.

    Word by Word: They love each-other.

  2. Vi pratar med varandra varje dag.

    We talk with each other every day.

    Word by Word: We talk with each-other every day.

  3. Studenterna hjälpte varandra med läxorna.

    The students helped each other with the homework.

    Word by Word: The-students helped each-other with the-homework.

  4. De lånar varandras bilar.

    They borrow each other's cars.

    Word by Word: They borrow / each other’s cars.

    Here, the genitive form 'varandras' is used to show possession ('each other's').

Common Mistakes

  • Choosing Sig When Mutual Help Is Intended

    De hjälper sig.
    De hjälper varandra.

    De hjälper sig and De hjälper varandra are grammatical with different meanings: helping themselves versus helping each other. Choose varandra when mutual help is intended.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

varandraLevel 2Each Other

Learn This First

To use 'varandra' (each other), you need to understand how plural subjects and objects work in Swedish. It is a reciprocal pronoun used when multiple people perform an action on one another, so familiarity with plural object pronouns and basic verb usage is necessary.

Words in This Pattern

varandra